This issue is entitled “Formation of the Information Society in the CIS countries: realities and perspectives". The themes of the issue are: the results of monitoring of the Information Society development in the CIS countries, access to information and knowledge in the CIS, favorable institutional environment as a factor of the growth of the information economy, e-science, telemedicine etc.

In 2015 the first summing and planning work on the Information Society development in the CIS region was done due to the expiration of the Geneva Plan of Action and the Plan of Action on the Implementation of the Information Society Development Strategy of the Commonwealth of the Independent States. In addition, draft Strategy for Cooperation of CIS Member States in building and development of the Information Society and the Action Plan for its implementation for the period up to 2025 were prepared. In this regard, it became urgent to analyze the situation in CIS countries in the field of Information Society development and to draw up appropriate recommendations how to finalize the new Strategy and Action Plan, and on specific actions of all stakeholders.

This task was entrusted to the National ICT Holding “Zerde” (Republic of Kazakhstan), which on November 21, 2014 had received the status of the basic organization in CIS providing methodological, organizational and technical support in the field of information and communication technologies according to the decision of the CIS Heads of Governments Council. A number of experts from the CIS countries were involved in this work, which was done from May, 2015 till January, 2016 within the implementation of the state assignment of the Committee of Information, Informatization and Information of the Ministry of Investment and Development of the Republic of Kazakhstan.

The analysis was based on the use of a wide range of research and analytical methods. Desk research, which focuses on strategic planning documents and legal acts of the CIS countries in the field of ICT, was combined with field research. Each CIS country was visited by the experts, surveys and interviews with the representatives of government, civil society, business as well as scientific and educational community were conducted.

Results of the research, as well as indicators and composite indices of the Information Society collected and calculated by international organizations and national statistical agencies were used for the analysis of the situation on the development of the Information Society. Publications and databases of the International Telecommunication Union (ITU), the World Economic Forum, the United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs, the World Bank were used as the sources of the values ​​of indicators to analyze the development of the Information Society in the CIS countries.

As a result of this work the analytical material containing two main blocks was prepared:

• comparative analysis of data on the development of the Information Society in the CIS countries by the priority areas of World Summit on the Information Society Plan of Action (WSIS Action Plan), and
• description of the situation on the development of the Information Society in each CIS country.

The second block of material was designed as an Analytical Report “Information Society in the CIS countries: Analysis of the Information Society in CIS Member States by priority areas of WSIS Action Plan” (Astana, 2016, URL: http://www.zerde.gov.kz/upload/iblock/9d6/bookrussian.pdf), which was presented to the international community in Geneva at WSIS Forum 2016 in the course of the Thematic Seminar “Development of the Information Society in the CIS Countries” May 5^th, 2016, organized by the “Zerde” Holding company.

Materials contained in the first block were published in the current issue of the journal with the concurrence of “Zerde”. It includes 13 articles prepared by the experts and placed in the appropriate items of the journal.

Four articles are presented in the item “Information Society: Policy and Development Factors”. In the article by Yuri Hohlov and Sergey Shaposhnik “State policy of the Information Society development and the role of other stakeholders” the unevenness of the Information Society formation processes in some CIS countries were shown. Based on the assessment of the current situation, recommendations to supranational bodies in CIS region and the government of the CIS countries were made. The article by Tatiana Ershova “Access to information and knowledge in the Commonwealth of Independent States Member States” discusses the various aspects of free access to the information through modern means of communication in accordance with the WSIS recommendations. Assessment of the situation contained in individual countries was done according to a strict set of relevant indicators.

In the article by Maxim Yurevich “Enabling Institutional Environment as a Factor of the Information Society Development in the CIS Countries” the key aspects of an enabling institutional environment for the evolution of the ICT sector in the CIS Member States are highlighted. A comparative analysis of the achievements of these countries in ensuring ICT legislation improvement, property rights and intellectual property protection, judicial independence, competition in the local markets, optimization of the overall tax burden on enterprises. The article by Galib Gurbanov “ICT infrastructure in CIS countries” is devoted to the analysis of the state and development of ICT infrastructure in the countries of the Commonwealth of the Independent States. Comparative assessment of data along different indicators is conducted. The leaders and outsiders in the field of ICT infrastructure development, which is the necessary basis of the information society, are identified.

The item “Social and economic aspects of Information Society” includes three articles. Article by Louisa Rizmanova “E-employment in CIS countries” provides comparative analysis of the development of this sector in the CIS countries, taking into account the implementation of WSIS outcomes, as well as examples of the implementation of information systems to provide remote assistance to citizens in employment.

The article by Tatiana Ershova and Louisa Rizmanova “E-Agriculture in the CIS Member States” analyzes the state of e-agriculture development in the CIS countries, as well as a comparative analysis along a set of indicators is provided. Strategic documents adopted at the national and regional levels are considered, and recommendations for the e-agriculture development in the countries and international cooperation in this field are made.